Put yourself at the heart of the story...

The sole survivor of an expedition brings news of disaster. Your twin brother is lost in the trackless western sierra where none can survive. Resolving to find out his fate, you leave the safety of your home far behind. Your quest will take you to lost jungle cities, across mountains and seas, and even into the uncanny depths of the underworld.

You will plunge into the eerie world of Mayan myth. You must confront vengeful ghosts and bloodthirsty gods, bargain for your life against terrifying demons, find allies and enemies among both the living and the dead.

Then, if you are brave enough to face the dangers of the spirit-haunted western desert, you must still confront the wizard called Necklace of Skulls in a deadly contest whose stakes are nothing less than your own soul.

* * *

Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A buccaneer whose sword and pistol are a match for any foe. A daring rogue leaping between rooftops. A wizard who can command the elements. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills.

Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre.

The Robotic Age is a game where man lives long side machine. Sentient androids are trying to find their place among people that, at best, don't trust them and at worst want to destroy them. Weapon technology is spiraling out of control, killer drones can be built in a garage, and anyone on the street can have enough cybernetic enhancements to make them a killing machine. The world is changing rapidly and no one knows if the new age will be that of peace, or dominance. Build the android, transhuman, cyborg, or human character you always wanted and equip them with the weapon of your dreams, from plasma cannons, to grenade launchers, energy swords and more. Explore cyberspace, fight for android rights, travel to mars, or just help prevent the world from descending into chaos in The Robotic Age.

In 1912, just over a decade after the infamous Jack the Ripper murders, William Roberts builds a device that can record sound from the past. As he walks the streets of Whitechapel he hears the voices of the Ripper's victims calling out to him and becomes determined to stop the crimes from ever happening. As Roberts' obsession drives him to madness, he suddenly disappears from the very streets he knew so well. Now, you follow in Roberts' footsteps, listening to the recordings he made of the victims, solving the mysteries of their deaths, and evading the Ripper as he draws ever-nearer. Discover the secrets of the Whitechapel Murders, upon the actual streets of London, or from the comfort of your own home... but beware, as you slip deeper into this world of poverty and death, you might uncover Roberts' fate by making it your own... A remarkable visual-audio-interactive experience that will immerse you in London's Whitechapel District unlike anything you have ever known before... This VAEO requires a smartphone/camera-enabled tablet, headphones, a QR Code Reader App (i-nigma or Qrafter are recommended) and the ability to face your inner terrors.

Put yourself at the heart of the story...

Your life is in danger from a powerful enemy. Jafar, advisor to the Caliph, is plotting a coup that will put him on the throne of Baghdad. You are the only one who knows his secret. Only you can warn the Caliph. But who will listen to a penniless adventurer? Even to venture out of hiding would be to risk death from the assassins who are scouring the city night and day to find you.

There is one hope. Fame and fortune would give you the means to expose Jafar's treachery. Striking out from the city, your travels take you to the furthest corners of the world. You will encounter ghoul-haunted oases, magical palaces, lost cities of gold, and uncharted isles full of mystery and danger. Threatened by bandits, fire wizards, thieves and fearsome creatures, you must risk all in your determined quest to save the kingdom.

* * *

NB: Once Upon A Time In Arabia was originally published as TWIST OF FATE in the Virtual Reality series. This edition is revised and expanded with a completely new prologue.

* * *

Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A buccaneer whose sword and pistol are a match for any foe. A daring rogue leaping between rooftops. A wizard who can command the elements. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills.

Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF books the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre.

With Shilka Publishing's "Digital Reinforcements," buy the print edition, and get the ebook FREE. Details at www.shilka.co.uk/dr

NATO kept the Warsaw Pact behind the Berlin Wall until its dissolution - but what if it hadn't?

"The Bear Marches West" contains 12 wargame scenarios set during a fictional Warsaw Pact invasion of West Germany in the 1980s. All the scenarios are based on battles depicted in well-known novels, and are designed to be used with whatever rules the players wish.

Each scenario includes the battle's context, weather conditions, deployments, force lists and a colour map. The scenarios range in scale from small skirmishes, with a company on each side, to large engagements, with Soviet regiments bearing down on smaller but better-equipped NATO units.

Science Fiction Hobby Games serves as a history and guide to tabletop gaming franchises set in original science-fictional milieux. Its subject is the pen and paper role playing games and model and counter based wargames that preceded modern videogames and still evolve alongside them, as well as the gamebooks, board games, card games and postal games that are their less famous cousins. Included are detailed critical overviews of more than a hundred fantastical universes published between 1969 and 2013, along with essays on popular types of tabletop game and the natures of their settings and stories. Throughout, sf games are treated as an integral part of the long history of science fiction, and as a new way of enabling its explorations of the future and other worlds. Based on the author's contributions to the Hugo Award winning third edition of the Clute and Nicholls Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, this book contains an extra 20,000 words on additional games and other topics, specially written for this new version of the text.

'I will vanish into the night; change my body to wood or stone; sink into the earth and walk through walls and locked doors. I will be killed many times, yet will not die; change my face and become invisible, able to walk among men without being seen.' This is the convenant of a ninja of the Way of the Tiger, taught to you by your slain foster-father Naikishi. Before you were ever known as Avenger, before your quest for vengeance would change the world of Orb, you were to face great evil in the idyllic Island of Plenty. You are the youngest of five Initiates of the Inner Circle challenging to become Grandmaster of the Five Winds. Your journey will lead you from ancient cities, across towering mountains, and into wild forests. There is evil stirring in these lands, determined to destroy you and your allies, and it shall turn your challenge into the greatest ordeal you have yet faced. THE WAY OF THE TIGER is the role-playing adventure classic now revised and expanded for today. You choose the skills and martial arts moves to defeat your enemy, gaining knowledge and honing your abilities to use in further books. ARE YOU READY FOR THE WAY OF THE TIGER?

Parsantium: City at the Crossroads is a city sourcebook for use with all editions of the world's bestselling fantasy RPGs. Parsantium is a melting pot, a cosmopolitan city where trade routes meet and great cultures collide. Inspired by real-life Byzantium with its rich Greco-Roman heritage, Parsantium is packed with characters, monsters and magic from the Tales of the Arabian Nights, ancient India and the Far East, alongside traditional medieval fantasy elements. Featuring evil cults and exotic gods, unscrupulous politicians and nobles, scheming rakshasas and serpentfolk, ancient dungeons buried beneath the city streets, powerful criminal gangs, gladiators and chariot racing, Parsantium contains enough adventure hooks and adversaries to keep your player characters busy throughout their careers, without having to step outside the city walls. The Parsantium city sourcebook contains: 2,000 years of history 17 character backgrounds for new PCs Over 70 detailed city locations Over 200 NPC descriptions 50 power groups, guilds and noble families 35 deities Compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Parsantium: City at the Crossroads contains minimal game stats, making it easy to use with whatever edition you are playing. Parsantium can be readily incorporated into your own campaign world or published fantasy setting. Written by Richard Green, author of the Midgard Bestiary for 4th Edition D&D (Kobold Press) and So What's That Shiny Thing Like, Anyway? (Raging Swan Press), and featuring cover art by Joe Shawcross, brand new interior art by Matt Morrow and Marc Radle, and a double page map of the city by ENnie Award winning cartographer Jonathan Roberts.

Put yourself at the heart of the story...

War is brewing between the kingdoms of Sidonia and Glorianne, a war waged for control of the territories of the New World. Galleons laden with gold ply the seas, and in their wake sail pirates and privateers eager for plunder.

Adrift in an open boat, you make your desperate bid to escape from the sadistic Captain Skarvench. The odds are stacked against you. Even if thirst, hunger and storms don't kill you, there are still formidable dangers to overcome in crossing hundreds of miles of uncharted ocean to reach safe harbour.

Yet you must make it. Because only you know Skarvench's latest and most wicked plan. You are determined to round up a crew, get yourself a ship, and set sail on a voyage of vengeance and justice. You are destined to face many perils: undead pirates, sea monsters, cursed ships, witches and ancient gods. And the greatest threat of all: the vision you have seen of your own death at the hands of your hated foe.

* * *

Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A buccaneer whose sword and pistol are a match for any foe. A daring rogue leaping between rooftops. A wizard who can command the elements. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills.

Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre.

The end of the 23rd century. Earth lies in the grip of a new Ice Age. Famine, cold and fanatic cults threaten what is left of civilization. Humanity is on the brink of extinction.

Nine of the strongest heroes of the age come seeking the ultimate prize: the Heart of Volent, an object with the power to reshape reality. All are ruthless, powerful, determined. To succeed they must work together. But only one can have the Heart.

Choose your alliances with care. Weigh up who to trust. Be ready for betrayal. When the moment comes, the future of mankind will rest on your judgement.

* * *

Critical IF books are interactive adventures with a difference. You can be a mutant with the power to warp reality. A soldier whose combat skills are a match for any foe. A stealthy assassin leaping between rooftops. An explorer who can survive in the harshest conditions. Be anyone you can imagine. Choose from almost five hundred different character types, each with their own unique skills.

Strong stories, vivid settings and compelling characters make Critical IF the game-changers of the interactive fiction genre. Put yourself in the heart of the story.

Nestled away in the tiny hamlet of Slippery End lies Truff Hall. The ghosts who wander the lonely corridors of this archaic mansion, are almost as numerous as the secrets; hidden away by the chocolatier who built this crumbling edifice. Now, the last of the Buerre dynasty, Coco, is to hold a lavish dinner party for a handful of guests... it is a soiree with a very dark and bitter twist Tonight at Truff Hall a hideous murder has been committed... and it is down to you and your friends to discover who committed this terrible crime. By solving the cryptic puzzles, uncovering the clues, playing forfeits, and eating chocolate can you discover the truth before it is too late? From the crime journals of Florian Bamboozie, this comical and immersive adventure will take you on a dinner party to remember, as it twists and turns towards the final starling conclusion... of Death by Chocolate Recommended for four players or more, with smartphones, this immersive VAEO will envelop you and your friends using the book, music, narration and interactive content. Two player mode is also an option for a longer adventure. With additional online features you can turn this experience into a whole evening of entertainment with recipes, downloadable 'decor' and a whole lot more.

This definitive sourcebook for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game provides tons of new character options for all seven "core" player character races, from archetypes that allow elf characters to explore their connection to nature and magic, to feats and spells that let a dwarf character carry on the legacy of his multi-generational clan, or a gnome explore her connection to the First World or delve deep into her weird obsessions. Additionally, the Advanced Race Guide offers meaty sections on a dozen "spotlight" races that make interesting and exciting player character options, such as goblins, aasimar, tieflings, dhampyrs, drow, the elemental races from Bestiary 2, and several others, and, for the first time, allows players to create and play characters like merfolk, grippli, duergar, stryx, and every other appropriate monster currently in the Pathfinder game. Lastly, the Advanced Race Guide includes an extensive section that allows players and GMs to build their own custom races, either to emulate more powerful creatures that already exist in the game or to create wholly original characters unique to their campaign.

The Elven Tree of Life Eternal is set up like a choose your own adventure book for those who wish to undertake the challenge to discover their true magical s'elves. It will help one understand if one is a wyzard or a sorcerer, a healer or a warrior, an elf of wood, snow, hill, ocean, starlight, or a sprite, a faerie, a gnome, a dwarf, a changeling, a dragon, or some other magical folk. If you wonder about your true magical nature, explore the ever-flowering branches of the Tree of Life Eternal.

A practical and concise tutorial leading the player to understand how to get the most out of their in game time. Packt Gold Strategy Guides are a workout, not a walkthrough! Newcomers or experienced players of the Runescape online game. Both free and pay-for members will benefit from the book.

WHAT KIND OF MAN MAKES A LIVING IN HELL?
His name's Roland. Soldier class, a former mercenary, he's on a full-time mission to scrape a living out of the most dangerous planet in the galaxy.
Is he qualified? He's well armed, he's ruthless, and he's tougher than skag hide. And, oh yeah--he's strapped with some of the most exotic weaponry this side of the Vault, not to mention possessing fists like chunks of steel.
Zac Finn and his wife and young son had better get on the right side of Roland, because a stopover in orbit has turned into a nightmarish fall to the unforgiving landscape of the Borderlands. Zac hopes to find a strange new alien treasure in the Borderlands to turn his down-spiraling life around. But his wife, Marla, and his son, Cal, just want to survive, and reunite, because catastrophe has left them separated by hundreds of klicks. Their chances aren't good . . . and Roland is all that stands between them and the planet's kill-crazed Psychos and murderous bandits--not to mention the grotesque primals, giant wyrm squids, insane tunnel rats, voracious skags, brutal bruisers, and ruthless mercs. . . .
An original novel set in the universe of the Rated M for Mature video game created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games.

A choose-your-own-adventure style gamebook that gives the reader a choice of different quests and adventures. The book is open-ended and provides an almost unlimited number of plot lines. You can be a warrior, explorer, priest, wizard, thief or bard. The books in the series are inter-connected, allowing you to travel all across the Fabled Lands. In this volume you get to sail over the oceans, experiencing fantastic adventures to rival those of Odysseus, Jason and Sinbad.

Here's a Hobby for those who love: toys, games, role playing, military history, action movies, science fiction, paintball, and having friends and family over.This book has it all, from gladiatorial combat to space warfare. Test your skills and luck as you re-fight famous battles or explore the world of "what ifs."Here's your chance to "be" Alexander, Saladin, Cromwell, Washington, Napoleon, Nelson, Lee, Grant, Pershing, Rommel, Patton, Nimitz, or any of the great military leaders of history."Lead" a patrol in the Ardennes or in Afghanistan. It's paintball without the pain You can "fly" your Wildcat against a Zero, your Phantom against a Mig. See if you have what it takes to be a "pirate" in the Carribbean. Can you "conquer" a galaxy or "master" magic?The rules contained in this book cover all this and more. They are easy to learn, fast to play, and contain background information for anyone who's not a historian. You can get started on any budget and with whatever space you have available.Rediscover reading for fun Teaching History? There are sample history "labs" included. Have your class "experience" the past Watch their interest and enthusiasm grow

They hide in the shadows of the hallows. They lurk in the alleys of New York. They slink along the docks of Charleston. What are they? Secrets. From societies, to hidden magic, secrets beat through the veins of the colonies. Some may think they know everything that has transpired in the colonies, but they are wrong. There are dark things afoot. There are those with vengeance in their heart who seek to unleash it. There are creatures prowling the shadows awaiting to entangle the unsuspecting in their maws. There is evil flowing in the wind. Secrets. Secret history. Secret plots. Secret agendas. These are the secrets of Colonial Gothic.

The City of Angels? No burg this side of the Pearly Gates could live up to such a moniker, and L.A. isn?t even trying. You won?t see many inhabitants of that sprawling boom town sprouting downy wings or signing up for the Celestial Choir. Sure, L.A. has more than its share of evangelists, faith-healers, and political do-gooders, but when your economy is built on black gold, land speculation, the Hollywood dream factory, and the sweat of migrant workers, it attracts a lot more than just the saintly. The fresh-faced, scrubbed-clean, Midwest wholesomeness they plaster all over the real estate ads doesn?t even tell a tenth of the story. You can?t have sunshine without casting shadows, and one thing L.A. has in spades is sunshine? 1920s Los Angeles is a fast-growing, fast-moving city encompassing all that is great and all that is rotten in America. A racial, ethnic, and religious melting pot presaging what America would become later in the century, L.A. nonetheless clings to a veneer of Wh

CALL OF CTHULHU ROLEPLAYING] SECRETS OF NEW YORK is a compendium of one of the oldest and most popular cities in the new world, and is a supplement for the "Call of Cthulhu" roleplaying game. This volume explores the strange events above and below the streets and avenues that crisscross the world's financial capital during the 1920's. With a plethora of characters to bring the city to life, and a detailed history to build scenarios upon, "Secrets of New York" is an indispensable tool for keepers and players setting adventures in the Big Apple. Included are maps and historical documents and photographs of 1920's New York City, as well as several scenarios that explore the most popular and less savory locales of this grand metropolis.